Rugby

A busy but brief visit to Melbourne came to and end today with a morning flight to Auckland. Even then we managed to fit in a breakfast meeting with a student before grabbing a taxi to the airport. I had forgotten to warn Michael that Air New Zealand, while very nice are sticklers for the rules so he didn't have a print of his ticket to prove he was not planning to illegally settle there. But we got through that, with good humour however.

Now it occurred to me after (honestly it was after) the schedule for this trip was...

Well you didn't expect me not to mention it did you? Yesterday I went down to Cardiff to witness the third Grand Slam for Wales in eight years. Not yet equalling the performances of Wales in the 70's as the performance between those highs has left something to be desired, but showing the potential to greatly exceed it given the age of the team and the professionalism. We may finally have learnt to be pragmatic about winning rather than being romantic about the manner of our losses.

On the eve of a Grand Slam match against the French (I will be there, middle tier four rows up behind the goal posts opposite Granville's Gap) I was saddened to hear of the death of the greatest Welsh number 8 of all time, and one of the all time greats of the game: Mervyn Davies. 38 caps, two Lions Tours (including the victory against New Zealand) and only 9 losses in his international playing history. Captain of Wales, Grand Slam winner and gentleman. Anyone who remembers the 70s will remember this giant of a man who's ability...

I was at home this evening watching the Cardiff Blues secure, in the very last moment, a critical away loosing bonus point to Castres in the Heineken Cup (for those Rugby illiterates out there the premier Northern Hemisphere club tournament). If we had played in the first half as we played in the second; but that is a story for another day.

In parallel with that I was checking the web sites for the crazy situation of commercial interests conspiring in a an attempt to destroy Liverpool FC, one of the great Football Clubs of all time....

I was witness to a unique event yesterday, namely the first penalty shoot out in Rugby. The Blues (my team) scored two tries in the final six minutes to force extra time. It was an extraordinary and exciting moment, all the more exceptional as both were scored on the margins of the pitch, but both conversions were made. No scores in extra time and the penalty shoot out starts as both sides had also scored two tries each (if one had scored more that would have determined it). As it worked out Leicester missed first but then we missed...